My Banner, My shield
by Jill G. Lowrey
Summary: Oneshot of something I thought of when I saw Edmund in Prince Caspian wearing red and gold and thought of what the colors meant on a coat of arms. EDIT: Now a collection of oneshots.
1. Red and Gold

Okay, #1 Disclaimer, I own none of Narnia and none of this knowledge of heraldry

Okay, #1 Disclaimer, I own none of Narnia and none of this knowledge of heraldry. I looked it up online, #2 it is 2:30, it took me two hours to look up this information and write it. #3 I know there might be some inaccuracies, but my beta is busy and will get busier with the other stories I have come up with, #4 I don't want to wait to put this up. #5 review the content and #6 email me character flaws if you see any, I am really winging it on this and don't want to screw up Edmund, this is my first time doing anything with him. So enjoy my first oneshot:

Edmund had just found the library, it had been a week since the coronation. He was wandering around searching for a book that he had not read, hoping to unwind after a long day. He had just about given up his search when he spotted a book on Heraldry. At first he couldn't figure out what it meant, until he looked at the cover and saw several coats of arms.

Smiling to himself he opened to the table of contents and found that the majority of the book was on the charge (symbols) of a coat of arms. Deciding to find what the Lion meant, he skimmed through, quickly realizing it was in alphabetical order. He stopped ever once in a while to read a particularly interesting charge, such as:

The Apple is often connected with such qualities as liberality, felicity, and peace. Many times found on a Rabbit's banner or perhaps a Squirrels.

A Baguette or gem ring is often a sign of Fidelity. Often used by dwarves, particularly red dwarves…

To display a Bear is to claim strength, cunning, ferocity in the protection of one's kindred. Many admirable qualities of a bear's which they have graciously allowed to be used by others.

A Bow shows readiness for battle, rarely used in Narnia, but often found on an Archenland Coat of Arms.

To have a Cat is to have liberty, vigilance, forecast, and courage. Vary rarely used…

The Candle is the bringer of light, and is also connected with life and spirituality. Many use it in connection with Aslan…

A displayed Dragon shows that one is a valiant defender of treasure, or has valour and is protective. Most famous is the use of a Dragon by the Inhabitants of the Lone Island and those beyond…

A Fox is one who will use all that he/she may possess of wisdom and wit in his/her own defense, to use a fox in a coat of arms is more often than not associated with such evils as Jadis or perhaps with Calormen…

The charging Griffin is a symbol of valour and death-defying bravery, or vigilance. Many Nights of Narnia and Archenland used this symbol, but the overuse of it has caused certain limitations to be enacted due to an excess of hand to hand combats between Archenlanders and Narnians over positions of honor…

When one has Holly they have Truth. To misuse or abuse such symbol is to marked untrustworthy, it is common to not mix holly and fox's on a coat of arms, after the death of…

A Hunting Horn is a spirited one who is fond of the chase, or one of high pursuits. Despite being seen embroidered on one of Bacchus' wild girls clothing, it should not be confused with such symbols of revelry and drunkenness as…

Finally he found what the lion meant, "One with Dauntless courage, and one that is not intimidated by an enemy. Commonly used to represent Aslan..." Almost immediately his thoughts went to the Lion and his conversation with him before returning to his brother and sisters.

He was tempted to stop, but instead went on to see the colors. All the colors were listed on a single page. Gold was the first one, making it easy to find, it was "generosity and elevation of mind," soon after was red. When he looked at the definition for Red, one word stuck out to him, sacrifice. That one word he couldn't get out of his head, he looked at it and thought of two words, "generosity" and "sacrifice". They went together, "generous sacrifice", tears gathered in his eyes as his mind raced back to when he first heard of what Aslan did for him but a few days ago. He looked up, realizing for the first time that he stood before one of his banners, the lion standing before him.

He stood before that banner and wept, letting tears fall much more freely than he ever would have in England. He watched it, barely noticing the numbing pain in his legs after hours of watching. Finally, long after the tears had subsided, Edmund knelt before the banner, gently removing his crown and placed it on the floor before him, right at Aslan's feet. He drew his sword, holding it as a cross before himself and whispered to Aslan's image the same oath he spoke to him shortly after the coronation. Except this time his voice lacked all strength or courage, spoken less to Aslan as to remind himself of all he pledged, "King over all Kings, My Lord, the deed that you have done for me… I can never repay nor return to you, but I can give you my life to be lived for you as well as I can, in whatever service I may. I take this offered crown knowing I must live each day to earn it, for I do not deserve it. May I never forget what you have given me."

That night, much later than he should have, Edmund walked away, but that pledge stayed with him, and the knowledge he gained of the banner he claimed as his own. Each morning he came to do his daily work, he thought of what Aslan gave and what was asked of him. Every night he stumbled to bed after a hard day, he thought of what Aslan gave and what he did that day. During each battle fought before that banner, he thought of what Aslan gave and what he could give for every soldier fighting with him. From that day forward he never forgot what was given for him.


	2. The Crown

Okay, after such a good response on the first oneshot and the sudden inspiration of this, I have decided to continue and do various oneshots of symbolism that I find throughout the stories as I read the books and watch the movies. This one was inspired by the movie companion book and a comment on how much like the characters each crown was. So I decided to do this one with Peter. So, please review, also please, please point out character flaws, I hate to misrepresent characters, so please point out anything out of Character. Otherwise, enjoy:

Peter lounged in his throne, still dressed from that days work. As he worked at an ink stain on his finger, he wondered about maybe going for a hunt tomorrow. The last few days had been full of paperwork and busyness; it would be good for them all to get out. It had been fifteen years since they had been crowned, their reign had been long and prosperous; many called it the Golden Age of Narnia.

It was late, very late, all the stars were out, and the hall was dark except for a few small bits of moonlight that shone through the long windows. It was eerie how peaceful it all looked. He enjoyed sitting there in the Great Hall late into the night. It had become a rare pastime over the years, a moment when he could be in his thrown and not have to make a decision. Instead he could just think and not feel like the fate of the kingdom rest on his thoughts.

Slowly he removed his crown, the weight so familiar to his head; it seemed that with the weight of the crown came the weight of the kingdom. He sighed deeply, feeling the stress from that day roll off of him. Carefully he twirled the crown in his rough, battle worn hands, watching as it glittered in a thin stream of moonlight.

He took a moment to really look at it, like he had done so many times before. He looked at it carefully, tracing every leaf with his hand, watching the glare on the single gem on the front. He thought for a minute of it and what the crown itself symbolized as the head of state, head of country, commander in battle. He knew that with this crown came many responsibilities, but why it was designed how it was designed was past him.

Peter was so lost in thought that he barely even noticed when Mr. Tumnus slipped in with a candle scurrying about, looking on the ground. It was only after Tumnus had started at seeing the Kings feet did both of them realize the other was there.

"Dear Tumnus, what is your business in the Great Hall?" Peter asked in a whisper that seemed to echo in the empty hall.

"Many Excuses your Majesty, I'm terribly, terribly sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt you." Mr. Tumnus said bowing repeatedly, as he attempted to slowly slide over to the door and disappear. His candle constantly threatened to blow out as he bowed and spilled wax on the floor.

"I must ask what you are doing here now."

"I am terribly sorry, your Majesty, but I was just simply…looking." Mr. Tumnus said rather embarrassed and not willing to give any more information. Although he trusted the faun, especially after fifteen years of faithful service, Peter still felt it his business to know what his subjects were doing, especially if he could be of any service to them.

"Looking for…"

"If you must know sire," Tumnus whispered softly, "I was looking for the horn tips that Queen Lucy gave me at the Coronation those many years ago. You see they were bothering me rather terribly during the Ball last week and so I took them off and left them at a window nearby, but well, I forgot them. Now Lucy keeps asking me why I haven't been wearing them and I really do not like lying to her, so I have been looking for them ever since."

Peter couldn't help but smile as he whispered, "Fair friend, the dear Lucy been asking because she has the tips. My royal sister found them at the Ball, and having thought they were accidentally lost by you, she has been keeping them to be returned. She did not wish to assume that you have lost your horn tips, but having already had the tips for several days and not seeing you with yours she has thought to perhaps ask as to where yours are. Per chance they were not yours, but another fauns.

Tumnus visibly relaxed at the knowledge that his tips were not lost, and even managed a stifled laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. "Well then Your Majesty I shall go to Queen Lucy in the morning and speak with her about my horn tips." Tumnus said with a bow to leave.

"An excellent idea, Mr. Tumnus." Peter said, ready to return to his musing when he remembered how much of a scholar Mr. Tumnus was, being an educated faun. "Indeed, Mr. Tumnus, perhaps you could satisfy the interest of a rather old friend?"

The faun turned with a smaller bow "I shall tell you all I can of anything you wish, Your Majesty."

"Very good, come, sit with me," Peter said moving to the top stead to the dais, so as to speak with Tumnus, not down to him, as seemed fitting for such a conversation. Tumnus came and sat a step below him, not wanting to overstep any boundries. Peter promptly slid down a step to be beside him and asked, "If you would, share with me all that you know of this, our royal crown and why it was constructed as such?"

"Certainly, your Majesty. All four crowns were made by red dwarf smiths many years ago, before the white witch's winter, shortly after the prophecy was made, or so it is said. There is little evidence for this, but it has been accepted into the history of the crowns. Some say the prophecy wasn't made until during the winter, so then the dwarves couldn't have made it until after the war and they had returned to our side. Others say that dwarves made them at the beginning of time from the original gold and silver trees from which the King Frank and Queen Helen's crowns were made. What is the truth, only Aslan knows, but most agree that it had to have been of dwarf hand, for none can make anything as exquisite and delicate as the queen's crowns but a dwarf." Mr. Tumnus started before he finally took the crown from Peter's hand to show him everything he was talking about.

"As for your particular crown, it is obviously pure gold, in some cases white gold for some of the inlay. The ruby was chosen first for its color, red. Red is for sacrifice and Martyrdom, but also for a Warrior for the Kingdom. The stone itself is a ruby, chose for it's symbolism of peace and royalty. It is set in the sun, the symbol of Aslan and the Emperor-beyond-the-sea, that they may ever be before the head of him who wears the crown.

"Apple leaves intertwined with Oak leaves are positioned around the crown, apple is for peace and charity, used mainly in remembrance of the first protection of Narnia, the Great Tree that kept the witch at bay. The Oak leaves are used for great age and strength.

"The acorns around the center of the crown stand for antiquity and strength. In many ways things were chose for their artistic value, but also for their meaning. Dwarves have been known to produce many beautiful things, but nothing, save the King Frank and Queen Helen's crowns, has as much meaning as these."

"If you would like I could continue to explain the Queen Susan, Queen Lucy, and King Edmund's crowns also."

"No, No, that is more than enough, Mr. Tumnus. Thank you." Peter said to him, softly meditatively. He had lost himself so much in thought of the crown. He had taken it back from Mr. Tumnus at his offer to explain the other crowns, and was watching it in the moonlight as he spun it around.

Mr. Tumnus silently slipped from the room as Peter remained, still watching his crown thinking. He stopped when the ruby came into sight, seeing it, the mark of a warrior in his crown, and his crown only. The High King of Narnia to lead every battle and fall back last, in the most vulnerable position of his army. The first into battle and the last to leave are the one's that are more likely to be killed, he had learned that in during many campaigns, watching too many good soldiers die beside him. But it also meant peace and royalty. Although he was a warrior he was also a king and had learned how to balance negotiations and war, to keep a peaceful kingdom, but a feared kingdom by all surrounding them. The ruby was set in a sun, in Aslan and his father, they would protect the greatest warrior no matter wear he went, and guide him though every council and negotiation. They would sit as a mark on his forehead for him to always remember, as Peter had always tried.

He spun it counting the acorns, there were fifteen, three between each point. They were antiquity, to be remembered, to go through history, it had been fifteen years since the crowning, this year would be one for each acorn, but the year would end, and another begin. He looked at the points with three Leaves on each point, alternating between apple and oak. Apple was for protection, he was now the protector of Narnia, and had done his best, for Aslan. Finally the Oak was for great age and strength, he still possessed strength, and now age had caught up to him. Fifteen years since the first sat on this throne and accepted responsibility for all that it represented.

He had done well and worked hard. He had lived up to the crown on his head, despite his ignorance to that which it represented. His reign was a good and memorable one many credited him with the prosperity of Narnia, but he knew he would have never done it without the help of his brothers and sisters. They all deserved to have a small break from work; he would suggest that hunt tomorrow. That morning Tumnus spoke with Queen Lucy and got his horn tips, and also told the four monarchs of the sighting of the White Stag.

_So these two Kings and two Queens with the principal members of their court, road a-hunting with horns and hounds in the Western Woods to follow the White Stag. And they had not hunted long before they had a sight of him. And he lead them a great pace over rough and smooth and through thick and thin, till the horses of all the courtiers were tired out and only these four were still following. And they saw the stag enter into a thicket where their horses could not follow. Then said King Peter (for they talked in quite a different style now, having been Kings and Queens for so long) "Fair Consorts, let us now alight from our horses and follow this beast into the thicket; for in all my days I never hunted a nobler quarry."_

_"Sir," said the others, "even so let us do."_

_So they alighted and tied their horses to trees and went on into the thick wood on foot. And as soon as they had entered it Queen Susan said, _

_"Fair friends; here is a great marvel, for I seem to see a tree of iron."_

_"Madam," said the King Edmund, "if you look well upon it you shall see it is a pillar of iron with a lantern set on the top thereof."_

_"Marry, a strange device," said King Peter "to set a lantern here where the trees cluster so thick about it and so high above it that if it were lit it should give light to no man!"_

_"Sir," said Queen Lucy. "By likelihood when this post and this lamp were set here there were smaller trees in the place, or fewer, or none. For this is a young wood and the iron post is old." And they stood looking upon it. Then said King Edmund,_

_"I know not how it is, but this lamp on the post worketh upon me strangely. It runs in my mind that I have seen the like before; as it were a dream, or in the dream of a dream." _

_"Sir," answered they all "it is even so with us also." _

_"And more," said Queen Lucy, "for it will not go out of my mind that if we pass this post and lantern, either we shall find strange adventures or else come some change of our fortunes."_

_"Madam," said King Edmund, "the like foreboding stirreth in my heart also."_

_"And in mine, fair brother," said King Peter._

_"And in mine too" Said Queen Susan, "Wherefore by my council we shall lightly return to our horses and follow this White Stag no further."_

_"Madam," said King Peter, "therein I pray thee to have me excused. For never since we four were Kings and Queens in Narnia have we set our hands to any high matter as battles, quests, feats of arms, acts of justice, and the like, and then given over; but always what we have taken in hand, the same we have achieved." _

And so were the last recorded words of High King Peter in Narnia in the fifteenth year of his reign before he entered through the wardrobe and returned to England.

**Note:** I forgot to mention before but decided to add, there are acorns on the center of the crown the exact number is unknown, the idea of fifteen came from the fifteen points created by the three leaves on the five tips. So it is not completely fabricated, just twisted from what was original and used in a bit better way. I felt like a liar not saying that so I decided I'll clarify.

Also, I am assuming the red stone in the front is a ruby, I cannot be certain. I have scoured the internet for a decent picture of the crown, and have only found what I have said. Their may be some disputes as to the meanings of the symbols on the crown, but I chose what I thought fit the best in light of the circumstances.

In addition, I did alter this from its original content due to inaccuracies in speech, typos, (in my opinion) a weak ending, and the need to be betaed. If anyone is interested in Betaing the upcoming chapters or any other of my works, please private message me, I do not finish things very quickly unless suddenly hit by an idea, and do like to have things checked up to three times depending on how much alteration I make to a piece. It would be greatly appreciated if you did contact me. Thank you and don't forget...REVIEW!!


	3. The Cordial

_Okay, I know it has been a while, but I finally updated this. This one had been playing around in my head; I just needed to find the time to write it all down. I hope you like it, if you don't please say something. As always point out character flaws and grammar and spelling mistakes. Also a bit of a teaser, I have a new one that is floating around for Susan which will probably be next. So enjoy and review._

Lucy sat for the first time all night, it was near morning, she hadn't slept for almost a full day and a half. Everything had begun to quiet; screaming patients had been sedated or given Cordial to mend their bodies. Not everyone could be fixed by the magical juice. Some because they were too far gone, others because their injuries were not life threatening, still others because they refused. She chose to walk a bit by herself; the patients were in good hands. Some ways from the camp she sat on a broken tree.

She rubbed the back of her neck, pushing on the muscles ignoring the crackling of the blood on her hand. She was a mess; her hair was braided down her back. Before she came to the field hospital, she changed into a simple gown of royal blue, covering it with an already stained apron. The fluted sleeves would have gotten in her way so she wrapped them around her wrists holding it down with a wrist guard. Everything on her was smudged with black and red.

Slowly she straightened her back, pushing as her muscles refused to stretch. She twisted and turned trying to work out all the stiffness. The last four hours had been chaos, body after body coming in off the field laid side by side. All night she had been bending over one animal after another, looking for what she could do. It was remarkable how fast a bone could be set when you are hurried.

Sometimes she was truly amazed at the skills she had acquired in the years she had been in Narnia. She could set bones, fix dislocated joints, sew sutures, and bandage the most gruesome of wounds all without a thought. It was almost automatic. At first Peter was reluctant to let her anywhere near bloodshed and wounded, but she pointed out that Aslan gave her the cordial not Edmund or Susan or Peter. She turned out to be the most attentive nurse, starting out in the little medical section of the castle learning from the nurses how to do everything. As Peter started launching campaigns farther and farther from the Cair Paravel, she insisted on joining him with a movable medical station like they had back home on the front. He reluctantly agreed, yet refused point blank to allow her on the field until she was older, tactfully not specifying when. Lucy was content for then, but now she was thirteen and still deemed not old enough to go on the field.

She was rather insistent on doing something more than watching as the dead were placed outside the camp and trying to help the living. She just knew that if she could get to them sooner; do more, that fewer would die. Peter didn't have much to argue against this with, instead leaving her with half answered questions or rushed dismissals to let him do his work. She pondered when her next attack would be and various tactics as she pushed on her lower back.

As she was stretching she felt something slid off of her lap, looking down she noticed her cordial lying on the floor. She didn't remember bring it with her. She reached for it, cradling it in her hands as she studied the carving in the bottle. The liquid sloshed this way and that. It astonished her that even though she used it over and over it always stayed three quarters full.

She traced the wings of the eagle feeling each ripple; whoever carved the jar must have spent half of his life getting every detail right. She loved the way the eagle's wings spread out over two golden flowers, the mountains and sunrays spreading behind them. The picture made her think of Aslan's country, far beyond the sea. It shouldn't surprise her that it depicted that, seeing as how the cordial was made from fire-flowers on the mountains of the sun which rose from the East, Aslan's country. Yet still she loved it, she loved the sea, she loved the east, and she loved Aslan with all her heart.

As she was staring at the bottle she barely noticed Edmund approaching. He sat besides her, laying his chain mail gloves aside before saying softly, "What are you looking at, Lu?"

"I was just wondering at my cordial." She replied still turning it this way and that to watch as the gathering light of morning play across golden flowers carefully guarded by the spread wings of the eagles.

"Tis a wonder to behold is it not." Her brother replied resting his chin on her shoulder to get as close of the same view that she had. Lucy easily compensated to lean a bit on him, not at all minding the feel of his cold chain mail on her back.

"Yes it is" She said before allowing silence to reign. Neither bothered to speak, just enjoying each other's company. Lucy barely noticed as Ed's arms wrapped around her waist his head leaning on her. He was not often like this, but when he did feel affectionate Lucy was always ready to comply. There was something about battle, about almost losing his life that made him remember how precious his siblings were to him.

"Do you know what all that means." He asked looking at the cordial again.

"You silly twit, it doesn't mean anything at all, it's just decorations." Lucy replied, twisting to look at him.

"No it isn't." Edmund replied, aghast. "It means quite a bit I'll have you know. I found out all about it quite a while ago. There was a book lying out in the library one day, I think around the time of our coronation. I was wondering about several things so I looked through it, something I made note to look up and write down was about your cordial. I had meant to give you a copy of what I found, but rather forgot until just now. I don't have the paper on me, but I remember most of what it said."

"Alright, than tell me." Lucy said just a little cynical. She didn't really think any of it meant anything, but she trusted her brother.

"I shall," He replied taking the bottle from her and holding it up. With his pinky he pointed to the various spots as he explained.

"First the flowers, the use of flowers indicates hope and joy two things you are never without. Second is the eagle, there are many things with the eagle. There is the fact that its wings are outspread over the flowers that is a symbol of protection over hope and joy. You are the protector of those things. " Edmund turned to look at Lucy as he spoke.

"Then the eagle itself is given to one of noble nature. The one who bears it is brave beyond measure, strong enough to withstand anything, and constantly alert and aware of incoming dangers. They are high spirited and quick witted. They think on their feet and are good at making the right decisions and seeing reason. Third would be Aslan's country in the background, although that is mainly decoration, it indicates a divinity about the owner, a connection to the land-beyond-the-sea. And lastly would be the colors. The most important part of all would be the colors." Edmund turned back to the cordial as she spoke, his voice dropping almost to a whisper.

"Red is for sacrifice, gold is for generosity and magnificence. Together they are generous sacrifice. The reason the cordial does what it does is because it takes a great sacrifice for one to brave the heat of the sun to gather the flowers, and a generous heart to give up what was so difficult to gather." He looked back at Lucy's face as he returned the bottle.

"For all these reasons you received this gift. It is perhaps the most perfectly designed gift ever. It is also for these reasons that we will have to have a discussion with Peter about your work. I do believe thirteen is plenty old enough to save lives on a battlefield."

"Oh Edmund," Lucy said, launching her arms around him. She didn't care about talking to Peter or how much he trusted her or how he believed in her, all she cared about was what he said. The way he saw everything in her, how he cared. He hadn't cared in so long. Admittedly in Narnia he changed, but he still wasn't touchy feely or very sensitive. He was more noble, more reserved. These rare moments when his heart showed through and how much he cared, he really cared about each of his siblings was what made him seem truly different.

"I didn't think you'd be this happy about it. You know I can't promise anything, but I think he should listen to me." Edmund replied hugging her tightly.

"You don't know how happy you make me." Lucy replied weeping slightly as she held her brother tightly, the sun halfway over the horizon, the camp still asleep except for the few guards that were trudging out to start their watch or trudging off to bed having finished their watch.


End file.
